Shade

Title/Author: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready.

Genre: Urban Fantasy.

Publisher: Simon Pulse.

Source: Purchased at Amazon.

Favorite character: Zachary.

Favorite quote: “Each moment without him felt darker than the one before.”

All in all: Very enjoyable!

What I liked: The premise of the book started out very clear and the story grabbed me right from the beginning. I knew Aura’s ability. I knew the start of her dilemma, (she was having a fight with her boyfriend which turned out to be a much bigger issue as the story progressed). And, I knew that her mother is deceased in the first 2 pages, which was another plot element. It really grabbed me right from the beginning. I also quickly found out what “the Shift” is, what transpires from it and how it currently effects everyday life. The writing was lovely and the plot flowed. Smith-Ready showed the reader what was happening and didn’t tell. (I love that!)

I had mixed feelings about the main character, Aura. I thought she had it tough, being an orphan and then on top of it losing her boyfriend, I thought she showed strength several times in the story, but I wasn’t particularly drawn to her. However, I could absolutely relate to her pain and empathize with her. So this may sound odd, but I was actually more than okay with the fact that I didn’t love her. I think this made her seem even more real to me. You don’t love everyone in real life right? I wasn’t conscious of this while reading the book, it dawned on me afterward when thinking about it, probably because I was so entranced by the story.

Buuuut, I loved, loved, loved the romance between Logan and Aura. To me it was so real and cut me to the core. It brought me back to high school, where emotions run on overload. The love they shared but could never be was perfect and the heartbreak that they both go through had me in anguish.
“I wish I could wipe away one of your tears.” Logan says to her at one point.
“We had lost forever.” Aura realizes at one point.
Doesn’t that twist your heart?  I know it isn’t pc to be defined by your significant other, but this is where her emotion came out, where I felt her pain and longing and where her character came alive for me.

Now let’s move on to Zak. I love how the author used Scottish slang and even though every writing group says not to write in an accent, Zak’s burr worked and didn’t take away from him or his dialogue. It just brought him more to life. He was a fun character with a protective side and also a bit mysterious. I thought he was real and appreciated his honesty. If you are tired of love triangles, don’t worry, this isn’t your typical one.

I also appreciated that while music was a huge part of the story and a plot element it wasn’t over the top. At first I was afraid that it would be too much like her WVMP novels where music is almost a character in her books (not that I don’t like that, I just don’t always want to see the same things repeated in different books), but the music, while very important, took a back seat to the story and main characters.

There were a few unanswered questions and plot elements not wrapped up, but that didn’t bother me that much. Maybe because the main plot between Aura and Logan was for the most part tied up and the story was so strong for me. The ending could also be taken as an open ending, which I do like in stories and in movies, but I had a feeling a sequel was coming and I discovered this was correct. I am looking forward to reading the next one, which is called Shift coming out in the spring.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like that people in the book kept telling Aura to move on. Even toward the end of the story it was only a couple months since she lost Logan. I mean, give her time, sheesh! I was also a little surprised that she could function as well as she did given the depth of her feelings, but I guess everyone is different, even characters.

I give this book a 4 ½ out of 5 stars.